The University of Virginia has won the 2019 Innovation Award for its Delta Force innovation approach to energy efficiency advances.
The Smart Energy Decisions Innovation Award Advisory Panel recognized the university as the winner in the “Higher Education Energy Efficiency Technology” category.
The university’s Delta Force program helps to identify and fund projects that have the possibility of both saving energy and making its use more efficient.
“We knew that we were doing a good thing. We saw the value it brings in both promoting sustainability and funding other projects that otherwise might not happen. To be recognized and awarded for it is a great surprise and a motivator to continue to make it even better,” said Jesse Warren, UVA’s Sustainability Program Manager.
So far, the Delta Force program has invested $15.5 million in improvements to its buildings to boost energy efficiency, resulting in an overall $35 million savings to the university.
The initiative is part of the university’s five-year sustainability plan, launched in April 2016 which identified 23 goals and over 100 actions to promote a more sustainable on-campus culture.